In the industrial production of textiles, such as carpet and apparel, and such other fibrous substrates as paper and leather, it is common to treat such substrates with fluorochemicals containing fluoroaliphatic radicals (often designated by the symbol "R.sub.f ") to impart oil and water repellency to the surface of such substrates. Fluorochemicals of this type and their application to fibrous substrates are described in various prior art publications, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,329,661 (Smith et al), 3,398,182 (Guenthner et al), 3,458,571 (Tokoli), 3,574,791 (Sherman et al), 3,728,151 (Sherman et al), 3,916,053 (Sherman et al), 4,144,367 (Landucci), 3,896,251 (Landucci), 4,024,178 (Landucci), 4,165,338 (Katsushima et al), 4,190,545 (Marshall), 4,215,205 (Landucci), 4,426,476 (Chang), 4,013,627 (Temple), 4,264,484 (Patel), 4,029,585 (Dettre), 3,462,296 (Raynolds et al), 4,401,780 (Steel), 4,325,857 (Champaneria et al), and Banks, R. E., Ed. "Organofluorine Chemicals and their Industrial Applications", Ellis Horwood, Ltd., West Sussex, England 226-230 (1979).
Although some fluorochemicals are useful in many applications and many are commercial products, some are relatively expensive to prepare and apply, others are difficult to apply, and others are not durable or do not impart the required properties to the extent desired.
Conventionally, fluorochemical compositions are applied to fibrous substrates, e.g., textiles and textile fiber, as solutions in organic solvents or as aqueous emulsions, as described in the above cited references, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,329,661 and 4,024,178. In the preparation of aqueous emulsions, it is a common practice to add surfactants, e.g., cationic and nonionic surfactants, to aid in the formation and stability of the fluorochemical emulsion. However, the stability of some of these aqueous emulsions is not as good as desired for many applications, and the compatibility of such emulsions with other textile treating agents, e.g., fiber finish lubricants, has been a problem in some cases.
It is an object of this invention to provide a cationic fluorochemical having one or more monovalent fluoroaliphatic radicals, one or more N-containing moieties selected from carbodiimido and urylene moieties and an organic amino nitrogen derived cationic moiety.
Another object of this invention is to provide a non-ionic fluorochemical having one or more monovalent fluoroaliphatic radicals and urylene moieties, the non-ionic fluorochemical being a mixture of non-ionic fluorochemicals having an average urylene functionality greater than one.
Another object of this invention is to provide mixtures of cationic fluorochemical carbodiimides, urylenes or carbonylimines having an organic amino nitrogen derived cationic moiety and non-ionic fluorochemical carbodiimides, urylenes, or carbonylimino compounds.
A further object of this invention is to provide mixtures of non-ionic and cationic fluorochemicals in the form of stable microemulsions useful for the treatment of porous fibrous substrates, such as fibers, paper, leather and the like, to impart oil and water repellency thereto.
A further object of this invention is to provide blends of a mixture of non-ionic and cationic fluorochemicals, fluoroaliphatic radical-containing poly(oxyalkylenes) and/or hydrocarbon nonionic surfactants.
A further object of this invention is to provide fluorochemical treated textile fiber with a high percentage of fluorochemical retained on the fiber through fiber processing and dyeing steps, and with durable water and oil repellency and soil resistance properties.